The Times Fails AGAIN!

As one who enjoys driving and talking with people, LYFT affords me the opportunity to do both.

Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo wanted to force a bill on the Legislature, buried within the budget, to have people like me, who are considered self-employed independent contractors, lose the benefits we enjoy as ICs to follow California Law AB5 which would make us W-2 employees. Thankfully, reason prevailed at the last minute in March, when Cuomo realized too many Legislators and Senators wanted more time to study this proposal.

Now, in the midst of ginning up the economy after the Great Shutdown due to Covid, the gray old lady, yes the New York Times, wants to have this matter resolved. Apparently, those people running the Times today don’t have the first idea of how free enterprise works.

Did any reporter interview LYFT drivers, Amazon delivery people, or DASH drivers to see how they feel about this? Apparently not, because if they did, the answer to the question would have been a resounding NO!!

Perhaps, it is time for the executives who run the Times go back to Journalism School to find out how THEY should do THEIR jobs and leave the rest of us alone to do ours.

Cancel the Season

How many fans think that a 60 to 70 game season is going to be meaningful this year? Anybody? I will tell you as a long-time, long-suffering New York Mets fan, it will be an extended spring training season with a make believe, meaningless playoff season which could end in November. AGAIN.

Even if my Mets were to be a playoff team, win the pennant and then win the World Series against the New York Yankees, it would not mean the same. In fact, as a baseball purist who thinks that Maris still holds the single season home run record, Aaron is the all-time Home Run King and Johann Santana DID NOT throw the Mets’ first no-hitter in 2012 (due to an obvious blown call by the umpire), there is no way I could not think the winner would not be tainted.

In the strike season of 1981, when baseball canceled a total of 713 games or about 7 weeks of baseball, there were still enough games remaining from August 9 to the end of the season to have meaningful baseball that year. In fact, the All-Star Game was played on August 9, and the season resumed the next day. Then, there was a playoff between the first half winner and second half winner in each division and the winners then played for the pennant. The total games played for each team was anywhere from 102 to 111, with the average at around 106. Meaningful baseball.

Then in 1994, the players went on strike again on August 12, and did not return that year, causing the cancellation of the remainder of that season, the playoffs and the World Series. The average games played in 1994 was 113, while 144 games were played in 1995, along with the post-season and the World Series. Again, meaningful baseball.

So, how does MLB justify playing baseball this year with a maximum of 70 games and consider this a fair and meaningful season? After all, batting averages will certainly be blown out of proportion with the possibility that several players could potentially hit over .400 and that starting pitchers would only get around 12 or 13 starts when they average 35 in a typical 162 game season. How is that real and meaningful?

What about all the Season Awards, like Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year? How could one be judged on a season as lost as this one is?

In fact, for a league so fascinated by and hung up on metrics, what metrics would be considered valid? Would some metrics be ignored? It really would be unfair to pick and choose the metrics that counted, especially if a player were in a “walk year.” And if a player, like Yoenis Cespedes, who missed an entire season due to an injury and rehab, is eligible for free agency, what metrics does he bring to the table? His make believe season? Or his last “meaningful season”, you know, the one where he was injured and played 39 games?

Unlike basketball and hockey which were nearing the end of their seasons when their seasons were placed on hold and may come back to play a couple of games to get into shape before their playoffs, baseball isn’t going to come back for almost another month.

Maybe it is time to face the reality that baseball is done for 2020. I know, as a fan not only of my Mets, but of the game itself, the integrity of the season truly is on the line if they play it at all. Right now, the owners and the players are “negotiating” about money and games and all that this entails. But no one, not even the writers, have mentioned the integrity of the game.

I know fans are disappointed the games not played are lost forever. I am one of them. But, it would be more disappointing to sit down some day with your grandchild and explain the real history of the game you love and the records which are cherished, now, like Ted Williams hitting .401 in a 154 game season, or Bob Gibson with a 1.12 ERA in a 162 game season. How could you explain and justify Joey Bigelow hitting .430 or Frank Fredricks pitching a 0.98 ERA in a 60 or 70 game season? I know I could not. Nor do I want to.

Cancel the season and get ready for next year.

A Personal Story on Disruption

I have done much reading over the last several months about disruption, and how it transcends many industries. For example, bitcoin has made a huge impact in the financial world, so much so, that Jamie Dimon has gone out on a limb in defending his beloved banking industry to say it is fraud. Or, how about digital wallets like Venmo, Zelle and Square looking to compete with banks by offering debit cards through Visa and MasterCard.

How about the disruption in the transportation industry with Lyft and Uber as these companies are being challenged by Waymo in the development of autonomous, self-driving vehicles? Or, the heavy competition in food delivery services between GrubHub, Seamless, UberEATS, and others.

There is disruption even among the big search engines, Google and Facebook, and ancillary disruption among other sites, especially as it relates to advertising, brand placement and other marketing strategies.

Then, there is the disruption in the most basic “commodity” of all, groceries. For years, we have relied on our local grocer to offer good quality and great service for a fair and reasonable price. Soon enough, wholesale warehouses, like Costco and BJ’s, began offering groceries as part of their inventory. The only caveat was that you had to buy in bulk. So, what happened? Walmart and other big boxes jumped onto the grocery bandwagon and tried to undercut your local grocer. Those who could not compete are now gone and the rest have become bigger.

Silently watching this was another entity named for a large river in South America (not really) who pounced this year on the largest health and organic food chain, Whole Foods. Many were concerned that groceries would become competitive, much like all the other cool stuff you could buy at Amazon.

But wait! Amazon is NOT the disruption force in the grocery business. Instead, two German companies, Lidl and Aldi, have made huge inroads in the grocery industry over the last year by offering quality products across all product staples, including cereals, paper goods, snack foods, fresh vegetables, dairy and meat, at greatly reduced prices.

There are several things I noticed when I went to my local Aldi which were not like other retail outlets: I rented a wagon for a quarter, and when I returned it, my quarter was returned. So no lot boy or girl running around getting carts. When you went inside, it was fairly utilitarian and sterile, with no extraneous signage or décor to distract you from your mission. The foods sold instore were not national brands and were produced to be distributed by Aldi, much like a store brand, for about 25% to 30% of the national brand price, and about 50% of a retail grocery store brand price. And I even saw organic items on the shelves.

There was someone nearby in each section of the store to assist customers with their purchases, or could at least explain why the product was not available. In addition, there was even a small section for non-grocery items, like basic tools and some toys for the kiddies. Of course, everyone knows that impulse-buy items have the highest mark ups, or as retailers like to say, IMU.

Then, when I checked out, the cashier packed my groceries in the bags I provided, cold or frozen packed together, with no frozen items packed with jars or boxes. There was no plastic bag rack or paper bags laying around at the counter. There were boxes strategically located in the store for convenience and a couple of racks where you could buy reusable bags for future purchases. Oh, and no lottery machines or other objects blocking your way out.

When I got home, I actually made something for dinner using the products I just purchased. And it was delicious. It tasted just like anything I would have purchased at Stop and Shop or Shoprite, or even the big box stores. In the end, it was food. And it was more than affordable.

There is a lesson here to be learned by your local grocer, the warehouse clubs and big boxes. And even by Amazon/Whole Foods. Disruption can be good when it benefits the consumer, not the industry. People are not stupid; they are tired of being taken advantage.

We are all looking for good quality, great service at fair and reasonable prices. Looks like Aldi has finally mastered that for the rest of the grocery industry to learn from.

Happy shopping!

This appeared originally in my personal blog on September 22, 2017. FM

Executive Decision: Protecting YOUR Reputation

I have posted several articles written by others, which highlight sexual harassment accusations made against powerful people across many industries, including Banking and Finance, Entertainment, Politics, Media and other industries too numerous to mention.

For those who don’t know what constitutes sexual harassment, here is an abridged definition: Harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks.

That pretty much nails it down for all to understand. But there is a caveat, which also must be considered and it is that it is not limited to denigrating women. Men have been known to be harassed, as well. But, this a rarity.

Just because someone is in a powerful position, or even one who is a perfunctory supervisor, does not give license for that person to make advances to those who they control. Yes, we have heard all there is to hear about Harvey Weinstein and Bill O’Reilly and Mike Cagney and their exploits. Just this week, we heard that Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman and even former President George HW Bush were accused of this crime of violating personal space of other women and men.

Even someone who has aided and abetted the perpetrator in his or her crimes is as guilty as the perpetrator. Worse probably.

Millions, and maybe billions, of dollars have been paid to silence the victims, provided they sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA’s) while accepting the payment of hush money. By doing so, they allowed the same perpetrators to commit the same crime again against other unsuspecting victims freely and without controls.

But, others also decided to keep silent, without this settlement bonus so that their careers would not be impacted. This includes Ashley Judd, Megan Kelly and others. They are as guilty of allowing the perp to go after other victims unrestrained for fear THEIR careers would be shattered, as much as those who took the money.

There have been times when someone may have told a joke or showed a cartoon which would be humorous or outright hysterical in a nightclub or in your living room. But, it is totally inappropriate in a place of business. And just so there is no misunderstanding of the definition of business, here are two pretty definite examples of “business”: 

1. person's regular occupation, profession, or trade and,

2. the practice of making one's living by engaging in commerce.

The problem now, as I see it, is this: Because of all the actual offensive acts, comments, etc., that have been reported lately, will an actual touch of tenderness and friendship on someone’s arm or shoulder, or a caring hug to comfort someone now be taken as “sexual harassment”? I surely hope not. I would hope we could make the distinction between wanton aggressive behavior and an act of humanity.

Here are some final words to all people in those powerful positions you worked so hard to achieve: If you wouldn’t want someone to touch your son or daughter inappropriately, or say something that you know is lewd and disgusting, remember that other parents would not want you to grope or create fear in theirs. If you think you are above scrutiny, karma always has a funny way to make sure it all comes out even. It isn’t the money, folks; it is your reputation, which is the ONLY thing you truly control in this life.

Don’t blow it. The better part of valor is to keep your lewd words and groping hands to yourself. And then, your reputation will definitely be secure.

This was originally posted in my personal blog on November 2, 2017. FM

The History of AI, in Fiction & in Reality

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality,

Big Data, Alternate and Augmented Reality

For those who once watched “Star Trek” or read/saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” or read ANYTHING by Isaac Asimov, we were all amazed back then that these ideas would be remotely possible in just 50 years. At least, “Star Trek” put it several hundred years into the future, in the 23^rd century.

But since “Star Trek” and “2001” first made their debuts, these terms are now commonplace and much of that equipment which was shown back then, are either far along in development or, in many cases, now being used.

Who knew?  Were Arthur C. Clarke, Gene Roddenberry and Isaac Asimov such futurists?

Or, did they merely spark imagination to bring fantasy into a reality, from which there is now no going back? Perhaps, it was the NASA space program, which sparked new ideas in these very gifted people, who saw that the improbable was really possible. After all, the computers back in the 1960s were huge clunkers that took up gymnasiums.  Now, they fit into the palm of your hand.

Look at some of the more routine items we use today: MRIs, cell phones, CT and PT Scans, Cyber-Knife procedures, flat screen TVs, the internet, video phones, debit cards, the space station, Bluetooth, voice-recognition equipment, transponders, like LoJack and GPS. These all made their appearances in the 1960s in science fiction. Even NASA’s space shuttle, which flew from 1981 to 2011, took Heywood Floyd to the moon in Kubrick’s imagination back in 1962; artistically to the music of Johann Strauss’s “Blue Danube” no less.

Imagination

It’s only a matter of time until Captain Kirk’s “Beam me up, Scotty” will ultimately become less an imaginary art and more of a real utility, right?  Care to guess what year it will be possible?

Think about this. “HAL” was the first time many of us met an Artificial Intelligence-enhanced creature, with voice recognition. Now, we have SIRI, EVA, Alexa, Cortana and Google Home, literally at our beck and call.

Machine Learning? There was HAL again in 1962, as he realized that Dave Bowman was going to destroy him. And yes, I said “HE”, because HAL had, what we call today, male “personality insights”; just like “Star Trek, The Next Generation’s” character, “Data” who had personality insights, too.

Today we also have IBM’s Watson with those same personality insights.

Virtual and Augmented Reality? Captain Kirk was tortured with AR in 1968 and Captain Picard loved to go to the VR holodeck to find some good, old-fashioned, (in the 24^th Century) R&R in 1987.

As you look around and hear terms like AI, VR and Big Data, in business, we first heard them in a movie theater, or at home watching TV, not in your “office” whatever your individual model looks like.

They may have not been as we know them as today, but they’ve been around for over a half century. And they are being improved upon all the time. Captain Kirk knew that when he told Scotty, “Young minds, fresh ideas.”

So, the next time you sit down to watch “Star Trek”, or the movie “I-Robot” or so many others that today fill the choices we have almost everywhere, remember the pioneers who thought of these concepts in the 1960s, way back when it was good old “Sci-Fi.” Today, these ideas are our “Science Reality.”

And who among us will be the next Roddenberry, Clarke and Asimov’s who will “write” something – maybe in computer code this time – which some might think is improbable, but someday, will be absolutely possible!

Spock may have said it best when he saw mere concepts come to fruition: “Fascinating.”

This appeared originally in my personal blog on November 9, 2017. FM

The Man Who Invented Christmas - A Review of Sorts

Stave I

In 1965, I heard A Christmas Carol for the first time on WTFM, an FM radio station in New York, when one of the DJs read the story on Christmas Eve in lieu of Christmas Music. I was fascinated with the entire story and after Christmas went to the library to get the book.

Then, one Christmas season in the late 60s or early 70s, I saw the movie with Alistair Sim and was completely hooked. It has become a tradition for me ever since. And I own four DVD versions of the story.

Later, I read that Charles Dickens had fallen on hard times as several books did not do as well as they should have. He needed money to be able to buy present for his family and was desperate. He struggled with ideas until finally, in October, 1843, he began to work on A Christmas Carol. On December 19, 1843, it was published for the first time and by Christmas Eve the entire first edition was sold out.

Fast forward to September of this year. Our client, Cross Pens, asked us to provide the social creative for the posts you have been seeing on the Madison Avenue Social and Cross social sites since early November for The Man Who Invented Christmas.

Mad Ave Social is thrilled to help #CrossPens – who has created a special Exclusive Cross Century Classic Black Fountain Pen and Ink Bottle Gift Set which ties into this incredible Bleecker Street Media film, as a perfect holiday gift for your favorite writer or artist. All for just $95. Obviously, since Dickens was a writer and Cross produces writing instruments, it was a perfect match.

So much for the set-up and advertisement. Now to the movie.

The movie begins in 1842, in New York City, as Charles Dickens, played magnificently by Dan Stevens, was being feted for his successes as a writer. He was on the top of the world, with nothing in his way. By October, 1843, he had written and published three books which were critical flops and was paid little to no money. He had fallen from the epitome of success to the bottom of English society in a matter of months, and was in huge debt, as it happens, because he lived beyond his means.

He was suffering from writers’ block and felt that the coming Christmas would be a disaster for his family, when he decided to go out for a walk to his favorite hangout. On his way, his mind was racing. Subconsciously, he began to formulate ideas from the people he saw and from the street scenes in front of him.

Without giving too much away, he ran into some of the people he made memorable in the story: Marley, the waiter at the pub; Edward Chapman, his jolly friend and publisher who becomes Christmas Present; Tara, his children’s caretaker, who was an orphan herself, who becomes Christmas Past; a dancing couple in the street who became Mr and Mrs Fezziwig; and of course, Ebenezer Scrooge, played by the great Christopher Plummer. These are the demons and angels who become residents in his head, as he struggles with the story, until finally it coalesces as the great story we know today.

To me, I found this story to ride the emotional wave, from sadness to joy, feeling the bitterness Dickens (Stevens) felt to the humor and sheer glee when he realizes his accomplishments in only six weeks. Along the way, we see him flashback to his childhood, when his father abandoned him at the bootblack factory; his father’s miserly actions, when he sells his son’s autographs; all the personal demons which made him who he was.

Ultimately, this is a story you can enjoy and can relate to with your family. As you watch the movie, you realize how the characters come to life, how he rides that emotional rollercoaster and finally, share in the joy he feels as he accomplishes the impossible. Dickens was able to take the religious story of Christmas and give it a secular spin, teaching us about charity, kindness and caring for others.

I will definitely see The Man Who Invented Christmas again before Christmas. And next year, when the DVD is released, I will buy it to add to my Christmas Carol collection.

This appeared originally in my personal blog on November 26, 2017.  FM

A Tip for Those Who Use Uber and Lyft

A friend I know drives for Lyft, which is a drive-sharing service. Let's call him Sam.

Sam has driven for well over a year and enjoys talking with his passengers. He finds most of them engaging and interesting, more so than staying home only to watch TV. After all, he would get angry with the news, annoyed with talk shows, and would become "brain-dead" watching Drew Carey or Wayne Brady give away fa-a-a-a-bulous prizes each day.

Sam is retired and still feels like he can be a useful member of society. He also cannot live only on his Social Security, so driving for Lyft takes care of supplementing his income, as well as, all the above. In addition, he doesn't have to worry about his answer to the question, "what did you do all day?"

Technically, Sam is considered self-employed, so he makes his own hours. He answers only to himself, as long as his activity does not damage the Lyft Brand. Seems reasonable, right?

But he does not get to keep 100% of the fare. Lyft (and Uber) take a handling fee for itself and for third parties Lyft is obligated to. So in actuality, Sam walks away with about 65% of the gross fare AND is responsible for his gas, some tolls, and other car expenses since it is his car. And his taxes.

The point is this: Sam provides a service to his passenger, much like a waitress provides a service to her customers, or a bartender to his, or a paper carrier to his. You would tip for the excellent service you receive from workers in these occupations. 

So, why do so many passengers not tip for excellent service they receive from Sam and others like him? Certainly, you would not tip as generously, or at all, to other workers in service industries if you received poor or unsatisfactory service. But if you received decent service, of course you would.

So the next time you use a ride service, take an extra moment as you close out the ride and take a "tip" from me. Add a reasonable tip to the total that is shown, since that tip goes ONLY to Sam and not to Lyft or Uber.

You can be sure Sam will appreciate it. I know I would.

 

This appeared in my personal blog on October 29, 2019. FM